Hi there,
we have our 1st case of bird flu confirmed in Scotland. The actual strain has not yet been confirmed.
We have been feeding a shy little feral cat that arrived at the stables. She has become quite tame and likes to be stroked.

I have told the girls today to avoid touching the cat and to only feed her Iams dried food by tipping it into her bowl and not touching the bowl. This is quite emotionally difficult as the cat now runs after them begging for strokes - though she wont be picked up.

Have also advised them not to touch dead or ailing birds.

Is this enough precaution do you think?

I cannot, to save the cat, capture her and bring her in the house to be an indoor cat as my husband would not be happy re risks and the cat would be utterly miserable anyway and it would probably be a living hell for her.

I need some advice if only to give me a leg to stand on when it comes to fighting the inevitable tide of hysteria.

One other thing to suggest; if you can get to boots or your nearest chemist, buy some "Hibbi Scrub". It's a pink anti-micro bacterial hand soap but it's much more efficient that your average hand soap (vets & hospitals use it). We have one by the kitchen sink & bathroom sink (they only cost a couple of quid each) and we wash our hands with it before going in to see to kittens etc. TBH, I use it all the time now instead of hand soap!

If you can get the girls (well everyone really) into the habit of washing their hands with it after every visit to the stables, that should help. Perhaps have an old jacket too that can be left outdoors that they can put on to protect their indoor clothes.

Don't worry to much about the safety of the stable cat. She's being fed and no doubt got somewhere warm to sleep so she's better off than most. Bringing her indoors is only going to stress her out and make her more susceptible to infection/bugs etc. As long as she has plenty of food she'll hopefully resist the need to hunt and eat the wildlife

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum